“Will the carriage wait for us?” she looked around for the main road out of the park as they walked at a fast clip to the gazebo.
“He’ll do a circuit and then come back to drop us at the Hayden.”
Brushing off his jacket, he took the blanket the driver handed him and spread it on the bench, putting the basket at the center.
“Sit. Let’s eat and that way we can either hit the planetarium as planned or go have a drink.” He gestured toward the bench.
Devlin took the champagne and popped the cork, pouring the two flutes full before putting the bottle on the bench.
“Here’s to rainy days and stars,” he said, holding a glass out to her.
She took the flute from his hand and touched his glass before taking a sip.
“Dev, you said other women. Was there anyone in particular?”
Glass halfway to his lips, he looked at her and then lowered his hand. “I thought so. But I was wrong.”
“Why? What happened? If you don’t mind my asking,” she prompted.
Devlin glanced out at the grass and the trees lining the jogging paths and the flowering bushes that lined the way.
“I lost my brother in Afghanistan ten years ago. I was active military then as well and she decided she didn’t want any part of being a military wife.” He shrugged. “To be honest, it was the best bullet I’ve ever dodged. She didn’t really love me, nor I her. We were…convenient.”
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he held up his hand. “Nope. My turn. How long have you been in the States? You said you were a barrister in London. Why’d you leave?”
“I signed up for Military Legal Services after I was admitted to the bar and paid my dues. I worked for MLS for a while and then Penelope immigrated to the States. By then our parents were dead and Granddad was so frail, it was only a matter of time.
“Once he passed, I wanted to be close to my only remaining family, so I put in for a transfer as an international legal liaison. I was originally assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s office. That was eight years ago.”
He sipped his champagne, listening. “I mentioned my gran earlier. You’re not the only one with such a small family. She’s all I have left as well.”
“This girl, this convenience. How does something like that come about?” she questioned. “I’ve heard of marriages of convenience, but that’s usually for people with money or for political alliances.”
He shrugged. “We were together for so long, marriage seemed like the next logical step. I vowed then never to choose something because it’s easy. Hence the no-attachment thing. That was more Teddy, though. He was there for me when it all blew up.
“I took losing my brother very hard, and then when Monica walked out.” He looked at her. “I left the Marines when my tour was up and joined the CIA as an asset. Let’s just say Ted threw me a lifeline and I took it. He made sure I didn’t do anything stupid, like get myself killed.”
“Then I can forgive the stupid things that come out of his mouth now that I know he’s got a soft white underbelly. Like a cuddly pup that bites because he doesn’t know better and can’t resist.”
Devlin coughed, draining his glass. “Ted? Cuddly? Oh, man I am going to have fun with that when I tell him.”
She slapped his shoulder lightly. “Bloody hell, you won’t. At least, not until after our assignment.”
They ate, talking for another half hour or so until they saw the carriage approach. The driver waved to them and they packed up, sprinting through the rain as he stopped to pick them up.
They settled on the red velvet seat again with the basket on the floor. Devlin slid his arm around her, and Jessica rested her head on his shoulder.
“So, the planetarium, then?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes. Definitely. It’s a great place for a first date, especially since it’s rather private.”
“Private?” He chuckled. “Isn’t it a public theater?”
“Yes, but it’s never packed like the movies. In fact, any time I’ve gone, it’s never been more than half full. We can tuck ourselves away in a corner and really enjoy ourselves as if we’re under the stars for real.”
He ran finger over her cheek. “You’d like that. Lying under the stars for real.”
“Who wouldn’t? Actually, my dream encounter is to see the aurora borealis. I’d love to see the cosmos up close like that, with the heavens dancing.”
The driver pulled out of the park and turned onto Fifth Avenue, stopping in front of the Museum of Natural History. Devlin got out and paid the man, then held his hand up to help Jessica from the carriage.
“What about the basket?” she asked, looking behind at the floor.
“The carriage company provided everything, including wrapping the leftovers and delivering them to our hotel for later,” he replied.
With a grin, she stepped down, jumping a little so Devlin had to catch her quickly.
Keeping her arms around his neck, she kissed him. “That was wonderful, Devlin. Thank you.”
He grinned, tucking her under his arm as they turned for the planetarium’s entrance.
“Just wait, Rachel. I’ve got some pretty incredible fireworks planned in the sky inside.”
“Rachel,” she balked, pulling back some.
Smirking, he pulled her even closer. “Yup. Like Rachel and Ross and their first date at the planetarium.”
She laughed out loud. “So, the big bad wet work asset watched Friends?”
He shrugged. “We all have our secret guilty pleasures. Watching Friends is just one of mine.”
“Oh,” she smirked. “And what’s the other?”
He stopped short and pulled her around to face him. His eyes darkened as he slipped his hand down to cup her ass, pressing her against the hard length behind his zipper. “You,” he whispered against her lips. “Now, let’s see how private a dark corner we can find, because I want to eat you out until your back arches and your body spasms under the stars.”
Chapter Thirteen
The hotel wasn’t as large as it was swank. More of a high society social club than anything else, with a reception room at the front and a small ballroom to one side set with round tables and understated decorations fit for a conservative fundraiser.
Opposite from the ballroom was a men’s club, like a library for cigars and brandy. It was set off from the base of a wide, curved stairwell that led to private rooms on the second floor.
The dais at the head of the ballroom was small, not quite a stage, but then again this wasn’t an overt political do, like a convention, but more a place for the elites to assuage their guilt over excesses without having to do anything but write a check.
A reception line formed, spilling through the double doors and down the red-carpet stairs to the curb lined with limousines and photographers looking for a quick snap and a quick buck of the who’s who attending tonight.
Framed metal detectors were installed just inside the doors, manned by armed security. Everyone was checked prior to entering the event, both their person and their bags.
Teddy glanced at Devlin from the rearview mirror as he pulled the limo to front of the building.
“How I pulled the short straw and got stuck Driving Ms. Daisy, I don’t know,” he grumbled.
Giving the outside press a quick once over, Dev motioned for Teddy to pull farther down the street. “I don’t want to risk the paparazzi. They’re not interested in us, but we might get caught in an unintentional photobomb.”
“We planned for that, dude. The paparazzi were accounted for when we went over plans this afternoon before Princess went for hair and makeup,” Ted winked at Jessica in the mirror. “No joke. Time well spent, Banning. You clean up good and that dress really shows off your tits.”
She rolled her eyes. “Nice try Teddy Bear, but thanks for the effort, I guess.” A soft smirk curled the corner of her lip. It wasn’t exactly warm, but neither was it rancorous.
“Te
ddy’s right. We planned for this, Dev. If we duck past, we’ll call more attention to ourselves than if we walk in like we belong. Let’s just do it. Once inside, we hunt up Lauder and set the bait.”
Ted put the limo in park. “I’ll be outside circling the perimeter, but I’m an earpiece away if you need back up.”
“Speaking of which, is mine noticeable? I left my hair down on one side, but—” Jessica asked, flipping the back mirror down for one last makeup check.
“Your earpiece is fine, Jess. We tested them before we left, and Teddy’s right. You look beautiful,” Devlin replied, folding the mirror up. He pressed a kiss to her temple and then waited for the hotel staff to open the rear door.
“Showtime,” Teddy said, gesturing to the doorman headed their way. “At least, it’s not fucking freezing this time.”
Jessica moistened her lips, inhaling quickly. “You sure Lorenzo said everything he gave us is undetectable? I don’t relish bending down to take off my shoes inside. This cut of this dress is a hair away from a wardrobe malfunction.”
Devlin’s eyes traveled from her face to the tiny shoulder straps that led to the deep décolleté of her red gown. The rich color of the veil-like overlay and sumptuous under fabric set off her creamy skin and with her dark hair swept up on one side, she felt like old Hollywood. Lorenzo’s pearl drop necklace rested in her cleavage, and matching earrings hung from her lobes.
The tailor showed her one last trick before they left his shop. How to hold her clutch purse for a throat strike using its metal clip. Between that and the thin blade hidden in the sole of her strappy shoes, she was ready for anything.
The door clicked open, and a white-gloved doorman stood to the side holding it wide. Devlin slid out from the backseat first, holding his hand out for Jessica.
Photographers and reporters lined the red-carpeted walkway, but they busied themselves with some A-list music artist, each clamoring for a picture and a quote.
“C’mon, now’s our chance,” Devlin murmured, taking Jessica by the hand and steering her toward the base of the stairs.
They got halfway up when Jessica had to scramble out of the way, losing her footing as security muscled two people down the steps.
“Invitation only,” the beefy security guard said, shoving the couple toward the cops manning the crowd.
“But—”
The man shook his head. “Take a hike, junior. I don’t care who your father is or who he works for, no tickee, not entree.”
The burly man turned as Jessica straightened her dress after regaining her footing.
“My apologies, miss. Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “I think so, though I don’t know if my toes quite recovered.”
He gestured for her and Devlin to follow. “The least, I can do is let you cut the line.” He paused. “You do have an invitation, right?”
“Of course,” Jessica replied quickly, not wanting to risk suspicion or worse, get thrown out.
She opened her purse and slipped the two gilt edge cards from the inside pocket.
The security guard scanned them with an ultraviolet light and then nodded, ushering them toward another guard waiting to search Jessica’s bag and walk them through the metal detector.
The whole thing took less than five minutes and they were inside.
Taking two glasses of champagne from a passing tray, Devlin handed one to Jessica and clicked the top of her glass. “Ready?” he asked, lifting his glass to his lips.
People milled around dressed to the nines, laughing and chatting amid the clink of glasses. She drained her flute in one gulp, her hand rushing to her mouth as a quiet burp slipped past.
“Wow. We can dress you up but take you nowhere, I guess.” He grinned with a wink, downing his own bubbly.
Jessica snagged another glass from a waiter, but this time sipped it slowly. “What now? Do we mingle and make small talk? Dance? The cocktail hour has only got another half hour or so, and then it’s dinner and speeches.”
“Yeah, I know. Which means our window to get this done and get out is narrower than I anticipated. We’d better split up. Lauder has got to be somewhere, and he’s the key to the others.”
It wasn’t hard to notice Devlin’s jaw tightening at the mention of Frank’s name. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid when it comes to Lauder. Not here, not now. This is a dragnet, Dev. Not a killing field.
“We need them alive to send a message to the rest that we’re watching, and we know. Eliminating them your way only creates a job opening. We want the rest of their ilk to think twice before fucking with this, even with a borrowed dick.”
The smirk on his face broke into full out laughter.
“Listen to you. When did you go all Dirty Harriet on me?”
She went to answer, but he shook his head, the movement nearly imperceptible. “Don’t look now, but we’ve got bogey. Be cool. I’m not sure, but I suspect we’ve been spotted.”
“Where?” she said, smiling sweetly and she pretended to wipe something from Devlin’s bottom lip.
He bit her thumb, so to anyone watching, it looked like nothing more than sexual play. “Top of the stairs,” he murmured. “Senator March is talking to Lauder, and that means Cliff Harmon can’t be far.”
***
“I thought you separated them,” March whispered through a plastic smile, his tone not happy.
Lauder slid his eyes to the base of the stairs and to the right where Law stood with Banning. “I did. A year and a half ago, but they must have run into each other again.”
The senator pushed past Lauder, spilling the man’s drink. “I don’t like it. They got too close the last time, Frank, and if they’re at it again, I’m warning you now, you’re the one who’ll go down. Not me or my partners.”
“He’s sucking on her fingers, sir. I know Devlin Law. He’s not a hot-head like his ex-partner. Law’s a womanizer. I didn’t give him the chance to nail Banning in Germany, so he’s doing her now. It’s a conquest, nothing more.”
Senator March turned his cold gaze to Lauder. “Why here, then? Why tonight?”
Frank opened his mouth, but the senator shut it for him. “Stop speculating and find out. In the meantime, I need to find Harmon and get Durov on the phone.”
“It’s three a.m. in Kyiv, sir,” Lauder replied.
The man looked as if he’d spit fire. “I don’t care if it’s the dawn of the dinosaurs. He needs to explain his end. He swore he had his people under control, and as for you, you told me Banning was nailed to a desk buried in legal briefs, that Meade was a neutral, and Law was so deep in assignment, he barely came up for air! One of you dropped the ball, and if heads are going to roll, it won’t be mine.”
Forehead sweating, Frank nodded. “I’m on it.”
“Then for fuck’s sake, why are you still standing here?” the senator hissed. “Go!”
He straightened his already straight bowtie and headed down the stairs. Forcing a placid look, he turned at the base of the stairs.
“Law? Is that you?” Frank said, feigning surprise as he came up to them. “And Jessica! Wow, look at you. You look amazing.”
“Thank you, Chief. It’s nice to see you too,” she replied.
Lauder looked left then right, before turning back to them. “Is anyone else here from your division?” he asked.
Jessica touched her ear, and then smoothed the side of her hair. “Will you excuse me, gentlemen. I need the little girl’s room.”
Devlin eyed her, but she gave him the same near imperceptible shake and turned toward the ladies’ room.
“Can’t take your eyes off her, huh? Who would have thought Banning would turn out such a stunner?”
Devlin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Me. I would have thought. To answer your question, I don’t know if anyone from the unit is here. Tonight’s strictly pleasure, if you know what I mean.” Devlin winked, sliding a glance toward Jessica as she slipped through the bathroom door.
&nb
sp; Lauder’s lips stretched to a satisfied grin. “And why not? She looks good enough to eat, but then again with your rep, you probably had a taste already. What was it you and Meade said, tap and go?”
“It’s not like that with Jessica. She’s been through a lot. Something she wasn’t prepared for or trained to do. You’re lucky you sent me underground or I would have been court martialed.”
“Why?”
Devlin took a step closer and lowered his voice. “For beating my direct supervisor senseless.”
“You still could, Law. I would watch my step if I were you. Banning isn’t the only one with eyes on you tonight,” Lauder shot back.
“I ran into Jessica at a Starbucks two days ago. I used your name to score an invitation tonight to show her a good time. I’m apolitical, so I don’t give a rat’s ass who’s watching or not. It’s funny, though. Jessica and I picked up right where we left off in Kyiv and Germany. In fact, I heard a rumor there was a second list circulating on the black market.” He spread his hands. “Hey, with the two of us together, all we need is Meade and we can go in and see if there’s any truth to the story. Just say the word.”
“That won’t be happening, Law. Thanks anyway,” Frank glanced toward the stairs to where he had stood with the senator.
Devlin shrugged. “Too bad. The three of us made a pretty good team. Maybe we’ll check around on our own. We’re basically free agents now, so what the hell! Anything to help a comrade, right?”
Frank gave a nervous chuckle and stepped back from Law. “Namedrop all you want tonight, Devlin. If it gets you laid, then hey…my pleasure.”
He walked away at a fast clip just as Jessica returned from the restroom.
“What was that about? Are you having problems with your earpiece?” Devlin asked.
She shook her head. “No, Teddy’s in the building. He ditched the limo and somehow managed a Chevy instead.”
“Managed? The dumb fuck probably stole it,” Devlin exhaled.
“Anyway, it’s parked around the corner in case we need to run. He’s dressed as a waiter.”
Shaking his head, Devlin pressed his lips together. “That reckless asshole is going to blow this sky high. If Lauder sees him dressed as wait staff, it’s game over. Both Harmon and March will bolt.”
Dangerous Law (Suit Romance Series): A Rogue Operative Romance Page 10